Olaf

Welcome! Nice looking wagon. That V8 is great on trips. Handles well, comfort, passing with ease.

N62 valve stem seals I think it's around a $2k5-3k job, with the heads remaining in place. The auxiliiary electric coolant pump plastics disintegrated when the hose was removed, so that's another cost in that job. The seals themselves cost little. It's a labour-intensive job, there's other gaskets and seals, Valvetronic Timing tools to rent etc, Coolant, Oil, Oil Filter.

laughing with you, not at you, CJ! ?

Graham! You're like a Scotsman without his sporran! What are you commuting in, now?

I went for Hankook K415's (196/65R14) over the Kumhos, based on price and reading endless reviews on-line. They're better than I expected. Not a sport-performance tyre, but a reasonable touring tyre. The only time I've come anywhere near aquaplaning was on a thoroughly flooded road in torrential rain - RE003 would cut through - I should have been going 10kph slower. They've reasonable feedback, aren't too mushy in the sidewalls yet are comfortable, and grip enough. Looks like the Kumho KH27 has been superseded by the ES31 - you'd hope to get a great quit-stock deal in normal circumstances, though in our covid-world, there may be slow replenishment stocks with the global freight slowdown. Beyond the Hankooks, in this size, I'd be looking to Michelin or Continental - probably the only reasonable premium options in this size, from memory? Hope that helps, mate.

e60 V8 is a nice not-boring family car.

Bienvenidos @Anunzis81! Esta es un azul muy bonita.

I can assure you it won't be the placebo effect. nice work!

@skidz Hi Steve, I'm also keen on inspecting your instrument clusters for 'the right one', and the rear battery kit, please. I'll give you a shout in the morning.

Date: 10 Jul 2020 Distance: 261xxxkms 1. Cluster Service. It's fun removing the cluster from the car; even more fun stripping it down. Remember which screw goes where. Brake Pad Warning Lamp Re-flow soldered the contacts on the cluster circuit board that causes the Brake Pad Warning Lamp to go on intermittently, or stay 'hi'. Barry had kindly hidden this with some black tape as a temporary blind; it was time to fix it. If you want more details, a handy guide is here on e30 Zone. Odometer Gears. Barry had done this before, so I held the tools and assisted where I could. We replaced the gears just in time, they crumbled as we disassembled it, and installed a new set of Garagistic metric odo gears for the VDO cluster. Naked cluster, packet of Garagistic VDO km gears awaiting install. Old gears crumbled in our hands. Tacho retro-fit I attempted to fit a tacho in place of the clock, but found my povo-spec cluster lacked the right contacts. I also tried putting my speedo into the spare (earlier) cluster board, and then putting that into my own casing - but they were incompatible. The spare cluster had been damaged in transit (note to self: always inspect freight when it arrives!)... so I ended up re-fitting No tacho contacts there, then! I had to run to REPCO for some 5-minute Araldite to repair my lower dash panel above the pedals - I'd missed the 'middle' snap screw. Reinforced it with araldite, just like a bought one. Big shout out to @Autoglym, we had fun applying these fixes. 2. M42 Prep. I picked up a big box yesterday, M40 upper and lower oil pan and pickup, engine supports, dipstick and tube. Today I unpacked them, sprayed on a s#!t ton of citrus degreaser, and then steam-cleaned them. Flash eh? M40 parts after a scrub and steam clean. Lower Oil Pan (left), Upper Oil Pan (right), M40 engine support arms, and (Enis) the dipstick. After steam cleaning, 3. M40B16 experiment Prep. Most will file under 'why would you bother', though Jon and I have wondered aloud a few times if running the M40B18 intake manifold, throttle body, (and boot), might elicit just a little more 'go' from the 1600cc M40B16. The larger-bore throttle body might help with HP, and the longer runners might help with the torque. It's worth a crack, anyway. These parts were included in the big box of M40 parts. Should I do it? Well, when you've only got 102hp (assuming none have escaped over the years), a few more would be most welcome! I'll have a try soon. Big shout out to Cam @Southerner, legendary Bimmersporter if you're trading, and he packages very well - thanks mate!

perfect thanks mate, I'll be in touch.

@skidz Hi Stephen, can't see photos. If you have an Coupe FL door trim (lower rubbing strip) I'm in! Mine has a PFL strip painted black, it is somewhat irksome ? PS - after an interior clock (centre console) if you have one

yep. proceed straight to Auto38, do not pass Go, donot collect $200. Unlike Jail in Monopoly, Auto38 is your best Independent in Wellington. BMW Car Club NZ membership benefits too, on production of your card.

just drive it fast and hard for 500kms, should sort that out.

Nice check-in! Sadly your old 318iS did not make it. A ccording to Carjam it was dereg'd in 2014 - written off by insurer. https://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=HDA415 3.2 litre M20 - wow! And yes, that's an amazing idle. Interestingly I saw pics of your racecar on Flickr from 2009 just the other day and thought 'wonder who's driving that now?' Is there a build thread detailing your engine build? We're sure glad you guys started Bimmersport, and it continues to evolve.

gone to the right home, Stu!

ahhh! I've read the supercharged (R53) has more reliable (stronger?) gearbox and may be considered 'the one to get'.

Score! I've been interested in learning what these are like to own, will be watching. What's the main difference between R50 and R53?

'on ya. making a proper job of it. keep the faith!

you have a skill for life! next thing you fab up, you're ahead! which muffler did you use, and is the pipe easy to source?

it really did happen!! awesome pics man, and the stubby looks the part.

by the way, I meant to say: loved your earier post. "need an exhaust. bought a tig welder. taught myself to weld. made this." looks rather bloody excellent. well done!

Yes I did the same last night. Interestingly one of the listings suggested 'these are rare'. Uhhhh, didn't you check your market first? There's a metric sh!t-ton of 130i's for sale currently.

I'll give you a shout next coffee meet or cruise. It's Club Pub Night tonight, though I'm not there this time. First Thursday of every month in J'ville, all welcome. Be good to see you.

@slideways Jeez Chris, how many e30's do you have?! Like having a wardrobe full of suits, you'll need to pick which one to bring to e30 Mega Meet this year ?